Learn Hardcore Russian: Врач дал мне лекарство от вируса. - The doctor gave me medicine for the virus.

In Russian, the past tense verb agrees in gender and number with the subject. Since врач is masculine singular, дал is the past masculine singular form of “give.”

Why is мне in the dative case?

Because мне marks the indirect object or recipient of the action. The dative case in Russian answers “to whom?” or “for whom?” something is given.

Why is лекарство in the same form as the nominative?

Лекарство is the direct object and thus appears in the accusative case. For inanimate neuter nouns, the accusative form is identical to the nominative form.

What does the preposition от mean here, and why does вируса follow it in the genitive?

Here от means “from” or “against” in the sense of remedying or preventing. От always requires the genitive case, so вируса is the genitive singular of вирус.

Could you use против instead of от? How would that change the meaning?

Yes. Лекарство против вируса is also correct. Против (“against”) emphasizes opposition or combat, whereas от can carry a nuance of “protection from” or “treatment for.”

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Мне врач дал лекарство от вируса?

Russian word order is relatively flexible. Мне врач дал лекарство от вируса is grammatically correct; it simply shifts emphasis onto мне (to me). The default S-V-O order (Врач дал мне лекарство) is neutral.

What’s the difference between лекарство and таблетка in Russian?

Лекарство is a general term for medicine or remedy (liquid, powder, pill, etc.). Таблетка specifically means a tablet or pill. So лекарство от вируса could be a syrup, injection or pill, while таблетка от вируса refers exclusively to a pill.